In The Lion's Den
by Hezzah-chan
Summary: The dead of winter is no time to be caught out in the middle of nowhere. The traveling Anima group find themselves caught in a blizzard with no shelter, no food, and no source of warmth other than a dying fire. What are those green eyes watching them?
1. Watchful Guardian

Wind whistled across the landscape, sending flurries of snow up into the air. The powder-white land stretched out for miles ahead of the group. The four kids trudged wearily through the snow. Gray clouds overhead told of a coming storm, a blizzard no doubt. A girl, dirty-blonde hair trailing down her back, shivered in the chilled wind, rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Oh....It's freezing!" She wailed, puffs of air fogging in front of her. "Husky, how far is it to the next town?" The silver-haired boy turned to look at her, his discomfort at the cold showing. A dark-haired boy of the same age stood beside him. In front of them, a gray-haired teenage who was spending his time by surveying the land around them. Several ridges in the land prevented him from seeing any more than two miles. In the distance, he could just make out the dark shape of a small mountain. Maybe they would find shelter there. If they got caught out in the blizzard, they would definitely die.

"At least another week, Nana, though I don't think we'll get there before the storm does," Husky cast a doubtful glance the skies above. He was sure the storm would hit by tomorrow. Something moving in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning, he saw a dark shape on a far ridge. "Hey, Senri. What's that?" Following Husky's gaze, Senri saw the silhouette. From what he could tell, it was an animal, though because of the distance he couldn't tell what kind. After a moment, the watching animal seemed to understand that _it_ was being watched and disappeared, a long tail becoming visible as it turned away from them.

"Cougar..." Senri replied in his usual one word answers as he realized what creature was watching them. The three young kids tensed. A mountain lion was bad news, especially if it was going hungry.  
"Let's keep going," Husky broke the uneasy silence, "If we put some distance between us and that thing, maybe it'll leave us alone," He started walking again, clutching his staff in case he needed to fight. Cooro and Nana followed him, wanting to stay alive rather than be eaten. Senri hung back, staring at the spot where the mountain lion had been. 'Something's not right....' He thought before following the three younger +Anima.

--

As the four weary travelers began trekking through the snow again, the watchful creature returned back to its perch on the ridge. Settling itself down on the ground, its gazing green eyes followed the passersby as they made their way toward the mountain in the distance. Round ears perking up in interest, its head tilted to the side in curiousity. The end of its tailing flicked up and down in a slow, rhythmic motion. A particularly violent wind brought their scents past its sharp nose and green eyes widened in surprise. There was something in them that told it that the foursome weren't ordinary humans; they were different. 'They couldn't be...could they?' Rising from its seat, it began its long trip back home.

--

"Oh, wow. It's so pretty!" Nana exclaimed as they came to the top of an unusually high ridge. Cooro ran up to meet her, leaving the other two behind.

"Woah. There's so many trees," At Cooro's words, Husky and Senri ran the rest of the way up the ridge and stared, wide-eyed, at the sight that had facisnated Nana and Cooro. A beautiful snow-covered valley lay before them. Conifers, oaks, and balsa trees made up most of the area. The small mountain was situated in the center, its mass casting a dull shadow in the dim light of the storm clouds. From his vantage point, Husky could just make out the glistening surface of a frozen pond. Yes, the scenery was quite beautiful and briefly he wondered what it would look like in spring, but that didn't matter now. They needed shelter from the blizzard; it wouldn't be long now.

"Okay, listen. We'll head for the mountain. If there's anywhere we can shelter there, the better we'll be." He started down the slope, heading into the tree lush valley.

"And if don't find shelter?" Silence hung in the air, the wind carrying Nana's question away on the breeze. Husky sighed but didn't look at her.

"I don't know, Nana." He kept walking, the freezing girl not far behind him. Cooro looked skyward, his brown eyes shining with concern for his friends.

"Senri, do you think we'll be okay?"

"......." Senri didn't answer immediately, not that he ever talked anyway. Cooro and the other normally interpreted his behavior to suit their own situations; he was there mostly to protect them. Cooro smiled and tugged on his arm to get the Bear +Anima to follow him. Senri snapped out of his trance, following his friend, though he kept looking back towards the ridge. He wasn't sure, but he thought he'd seen the shadow of the mountain lion walking towards the mountain. If it lived there, they would have to find somewhere else to go. There could be a couple of hungry cubs or a pride just waiting to eat their fill of fresh meat. Senri wasn't about to let his friends become breakfast for a bunch of overgrown cats.

The fire crackled with life, flooding heat into the small area and warming the near frozen kids. Nana and Cooro sat next to it gratefully, Husky huddled up under his winter cloak. Only Senri seemed unaffected by the cold, his single eye gazing around for any signs of danger. It was as he feared; the mountain lion had made its home in a cave a little ways up the mountain, forcing them to take shelter in a tight cluster of trees that offered very little shelter against the snow that would soon be falling. The storm would be upon them soon. Husky looked towards the silent Kim-un-kur, knowing they needed food before it was too late to hunt anything.  
"Senri, do you think you could go find something for us to eat?" The silver-haired teen nodded and left with his machete. Nana looked at him quizzically.  
"Why'd you send him off?"  
"One: a storm is coming and we'll need food. Two: Something's on his mind. Better let him think it through." Nana started to say something else, but a quick look from Husky silenced her. Cooro sat shivering by the fire. He was too cold to notice anything else.

---

The deer screamed as its foot became ensnared in the rope trap. Before it could make an attempt to escape, Senri sprung from his hiding place and quickly silenced the creature by slitting its throat. A few spastic twitches of its body was the only show of life before finally going still, dead. Untying the beast from the tree, he cleaned up the deer--no sense in leading predators back to camp-- and set off back to camp. He'd barely gone ten feet when the sound of snow crunching lightly under a creature's pawsteps caught his attention. When he stopped, so did the sound. He dropped the deer and scanned the forest, squinting through the sheet of snow beginning to fall. A shadow moved behind a bush and a bird startled by the unexpected visitor flew up into the sky. Senri grabbed the hilt of his machete with one hand and the other was ready to change if he should need to use his +Anima.

Growling. He recognized it as a canine's, a wolf more than likely. He groaned. First, mountain lions and now wolves. What would hunt them next? He could hear it as it began to circle him, judging and sizing him up, waiting for the right moment to strike. He also noticed the absence of any other wolves, as is common with most hunting parties. The realization was only a slight relief. It was a rogue with no pack to call its own. It relied only on itself and was concerned with food and survival only. Nothing else. A dead deer and a moving human must have looked like a banquet to the starving lupine, and it wouldn't care if it was hurt in the process as long as he got his meal.

A twig snapped causing Senri spin around and pinpoint the wolf's location. It leaped from its spot behind a bush, heading for him with a mad hunger in its eyes. What happened next was almost unbelievable. At the same instant the wolf leapt to bite on his throat, a giant blur of brown followed a roar as a some larger beast slammed into the wolf, making it yelp in pain and surprise. They rolled in the snow, spitting and snarling at each other with all the fury they could manage. Senri didn't see the final blow, but he did hear the wolf's last yelp cut short as the other beast bit down on its throat. A clean kill. Senri dared not move, recognizing the creature that had killed the wolf that hunted him.

It was the mountain lion from the ridge. He knew only because most mountain lions were a tawny gold, but this one was a dark chesnut brown. Very rare. It turned towards him, green eyes staring at him intently. He froze, feeling his heart thud in his chest. No matter if he could kill it with his bear claws, a mountain lion staring you down was not a pleasant feeling. When neither showed any sign of moving, Senri allowed himself to look the lion over. Its body was lean and lithe, the powerful muscles twitching under thick fur. The rounded ears were lined with black fur as well as the eyes. The small, square face showed that he was looking at a female mountain lion, though it looked as if she didn't have cubs. She was a solitary.

Calmly, she stood on great paws and cautiously walked towards him. Feeling unnerved, he took a step back, the deer forgotten. She stopped and cocked her head to one side before walking the last few feet to sit in front of him. Puzzled, he looked at the creature. She stared at him with the same curious eyes that a cat might use to look at a stranger in its home. She didn't snarl or growl or show any indication of wanting him as her next meal. Instead, she dipped her head slightly and waited. For the first time, he noticed a black and white feather tied to a tuft of fur behind her right ear, a sign of ownership yet the freedom to move about as she pleased. To put it simple, she was a tame lion with the instinct for hunting. She would see humans as friends and other animals as prey.

Sighing in relief, he kneeled down in front of the beast and held out his hand. She sniffed it at first then gave it a friendly lick. The rough tongue lapped at his palm once more before she put her muzzle to it and began to rub against it. He chuckled and petted the great cat, gently rubbing her muzzle and scratching underneath her chin. Few got the chance to act with lion as they did with a cat, and he was enjoying it when a familiar voice called over the wind.

"Senri! Senri, where are you?" Standing, he could just make out Cooro standing a few yards away. Had he been gone so long that Cooro had to come looking for him? Then again, he wasn't sure how long the ordeal with the wolf had lasted, and the mountain lion's show of domestication. Snow crunched as the she-lion made her way back to her kill. "Oh, Senri. There you are." The Crow +Anima came to Senri's side in time to see the cougar pick up the wolf in its jaws and leave. Just before she disappeared, Senri noticed a curved object tied with black sinew bouncing against her chest. A claw maybe? "Wow. That cat was pretty. Did it scare you, Senri?" Senri said nothing but picked up his deer and began trekking back to camp with Cooro. If either had paid enough attention, they would have noticed the emerald-eyed shadow watching them from the trees.

____________________________

_Well, the first chapter isn't quite what I had in mind. Slow start I guess. I promise, future chapters will be better. On an added note, I'm sure most of you have guessed that our watchful lion is an +Anima. I've also seen one other fic that has a mountain lion +Anima as its star. Now, I want to be clear. One: I did not steal the idea. It is something I have been toying with for months and I'm sure that the author had similar ideas, and I'm not saying that they stole the idea either. We merely thought of using the same type of +Anima in different situations._

_With the +Anima series, there are a bound to be some +Anima types that generally repeat, some just different species. We look at Cooro who is a Crow +Anima which is a type of bird, and the kid from the 4th book who turned into a Goose +Anima. Similar markings, same type (bird), different species. And Husky is merely referred to as a Fish +Anima so anyone else with that power would be called that as well. _

_Thank you for taking to the time to read the message above. I'm not trying to sound stuck up or superior; I only want to be fair and open-minded. I speak only the truth, and I don't want to hurt anyone. Again, thank you._

_Love,  
Your Faithful Servant,_  
_Hezzah-chan  
Writer to for two years_


	2. Saved

A/N: Sorry, this update's a little late. I've been trying to do weekly updates, but I overshot this one a little. Right now, the place where I work is going out of business so I'm looking for another job. So, I'll try, but don't expect perfection. I'm only human. Enjoy the chapter.

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Black as night, the forest closed in around them, the fire having long gone winds and walls of snow limited the visibilty to a few inches at a time. Shelter had been reduced to huddling in among the gnarled roots of an old scraggly tree, a home barely fit for a fox. Nana, Husky, and Cooro huddled against Senri for warmth, though given their current body temperatures, it wasn't much. Both Senri and Husky's cloaks had been wrapped around them to form a crude blanket, but it didn't help much. The blizzard had started over an hour ago and showed no sign of ever letting up tonight.

Senri glanced down at the three shivering forms beside him. Despite Husky's warnings that they needed to stay awake, all three had finally succumbbed to exhaustion. They hadn't been asleep long, twenty minutes, but nothing would wake them now. Senri was also tired, sleep calling him, but he refused. If he fell asleep, they certainly would not survive the night. They had little chance of it right now. He desperately wished there were somewhere else he could take the younger +Anima, away from the cold to somewhere warm. The cloaks. If they didn't have to cover him, too, maybe the kids would be warmer. Shifting himself around their sleeping forms, he sat front of them, making himself a windblock. Yes, he would probably freeze, but they had to survive.

The night wore on as the blizzard kept getting worse and worse. It wasn't long before he could no longer feel himself sitting in the snow. Several times, he'd caught himself nearly falling alseep; if he did, they would surely die. Senri worried that they wouldn't live till morning. Why didn't they stay in the last town? Food, shelter, and a warm fire would have possible. They could've had a better chance at the least. Exhaustion began to weigh at him again as he felt his eye trying to close. He couldn't fall asleep, he just couldn't....

Gray eyes snapped open. How long had he been out? What about Nana, Husky, and Cooro? Sitting up, he turned and froze. A dark figure was leaning over Nana. There was no sign of Husky or Cooro. Panicking, he stood and tackled the shadow, rolling in the snow and wound up laying flat on his back in the snow. Glittering green eyes stared at him from underneath a fur lined hood. They were full of concern and anxiety.

"Hey, calm down. I'm trying to help." The voice was female, and she sounded genuine. A snorting sound caught his attention. When he was allowed to stand, he saw a dark black and white shape standing a few feet away from the scraggly old tree. It was a least another head taller than him with four powerful legs and warm brown eyes. Laying across its back with arms and legs hanging down on either side was Husky and Cooro. Senri was relieved to see it was a horse. "Come on. I can give you and your friends shelter, but you have to help me." Taking hold of the horse's lead, she bent down and grabbed a lantern from beside the tree; no wonder it had been easier to see. Nodding down towards Nana, she gave a simple command, "Carry the girl." Gratefully, he scooped Nana up into his arms, grabbed the make-shift blanket, and followed the stranger. He didn't know who she was or where she'd come from, but any help was better than freezing to death.

The black of the night and the flurries of snow that kept kicking up did not help him keep the stranger in sight. The only clue to her presence or the horse's was the bobbing light of her lantern as she lead the way through a near unbroken blackness. Cooro and Husky were still on the horse, their heads bumping lightly against its side. At least they were being taken care of. Nana shivered against him, reminding him that he had to keep up. If he lost the woman, where would he be? Cooro and Husky would probably be fine, but him and Nana would more than likely freeze. Lengthing his stride, though his numb legs strongly protested, he pushed forward until he was even with the horse's flank. The woman looked over her shoulder to check if he was still there, and a slight movement underneath her hood said she'd nodded.

Minutes felt like hours as they continued through the blizzard. Every once in awhile, Senri found himself falling behind and had to run to catch up. The woman seemed undaunted by the cold snow or the harsh winds. She walked confidently, her steps evenly paced so that she never lost ground even when she had to wait for him. Curious, Senri looked towards the trees to see if she'd marked them in some way to show her the way to go. The bark was unmarred, small stubborn flakes clinging to the rough surface. She was going on instinct alone! He hoped she knew where she was going.

It felt like it had been an eternity when they finally stopped. Senri stood, trembling with exhaustion as his legs fought to support both him and Nana. He didn't even notice that the woman had come back to him until she took Nana from his arms. He would have protested, but his body could take no more. Falling to his knees, he watched as the stranger put Nana on the horse next to Husky and gave it a light slap on the flank. It started walking along a trail that led up to some dark mass hovering above him. The last thing he saw before pitching forward into unconsciousness was the stranger coming back to him, her green eyes seeming to glow in the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alive. He knew only because if he were dead, he wouldn't feel so tired. He didn't know what he was laying on, but it was soft and warm, an improvement over the snow-covered ground and rough bark of the tree. Even now, it was quiet, only a slight whistling giving away the wind. The blizzard, the idea of freezing, everything suddenly seemed like just another dream. He was about to close his eyes, to get the rest his body was demanding, when another thought raced across his mind: what about the others? Were Nana, Cooro, and Senri alright? He had to know.

Forcing his tired arms to support him, he made an attempt to sit up. He had only just managed to make it into a half-decent reclining position when he felt a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder, slightly pushing him back down on the bedding. He started to protest, but a warm, kind voice cut him off, "Rest now, young one. Your friends are safe." Their voice was little reassurance. Husky wanted to see for himself that his friends were okay, but his own exhaustion was taking its toll. He _did_ want to sleep, knowing he wouldn't freeze. A blackness started tinting his vision, and he knew he was falling asleep. Squinting in the dim light, he tried to get a good look at their rescuer. He only managed to get a glimpse of green glowing eyes, the very edges rimmed with amber. It was the pupils he remembered even as he blacked out; they'd been nothing but slits, like cat's eyes.

When Husky woke next, the light had grown considerably brighter. The walls of stone that surrounded him were a grayish-red, highlighted with faint white light. Blinking to adjust his eyes, he cautiously sat up, noting with little surprsie that they were in a cavern. What first grabbed his attention was the blanket that covered him. Made of white and brown fur, it was as soft and fine as silk. Husky flipped over a corner, noticing that it looked like leather only more flexible with more of a velvet texture. He wasn't surprised to see that the bedding was made of some type of fur.

On either side of him lay Nana and Cooro, their bodies nearly covered by the fur blankets. Nana fidgeted in her sleep, mumbling something he couldn't quite understand while Cooro seemed not to care where he was. The only one that seemed to be missing was Senri, and that alarmed him. '_Your friends are safe.' _He remembered hearing that voice as he slipped back into unconsciousness. It had sounded feminine, the words warm and full of comfort. He had honestly felt safe even though the image of dangerous cat's eyes was still vivid in his mind. Still, other than Nana and Cooro, the small cave was empty. That nagging feeling came back, voicing the question he wanted so bad to ask. _Where was Senri?_


	3. Grateful

A/N: Wow, late update. Well, I want to give thanks to my reviewers: Grace Raven, Death101-Fox Version, and riddler180. It may not be much, but I'm thankful for those few. I don't ask much; I just ask that you read and enjoy. Oh, and to answer riddler180's review: No, this will not be a Senri and Rose pairing, or even a Senri/OC pairing. If you really want to find out more, just read as I update. Thank you all!

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"Cooro! Cooro, wake up!" Husky shook his dark-haired friend, the fish +Anima looking around frantically, half-expecting someone to come around with a knife ready to slit their throats. Blue eyes were wide with a wild panic that made him uneasy. He didn't like not knowing where they were, how they got there, or who brought them here. It was unsettling. Turning back to the sleeping boy, he began shaking him again. "Cooro, wake up!" Brown eyes finally snapped open. Cooro sat straight up, his forehead colliding with Husky's. The silver-haired boy fell backwards, gently rubbing his aching forehead.

"Owww.......Husky! Why'd you wake me up? I was dreaming of food." Typical Cooro answer. Always wanting food and always wanting to sleep. Husky mumbled something about the boy's naivety before he remembered the reason he woke the Crow +anima. Sitting up, he quickly bonked Cooro on the head. Cooro rubbed the small bump but didn't have a chance to say anything as Husky began talking.

"You can dream of food later. We gotta find Senri. He might still be out there." Where he didn't know. All he knew was that if they didn't find him soon, he would die. If he hadn't already. Husky shook his head; he didn't even want to think about _that_ possibility. Cooro's eyes widened before he nodded, his mouth set in a determined smile. Both boys stood and where about to wake Nana when the young girl's eyes snapped open, though thankfully she didn't hit either one when she sat up.

"Nana!" She winced at the sound of the boys' combinied voices right in her ears. She glared daggers to let them know to back off, which they did but only so much. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair real quick before turning attention back to them.

"What's going on, guys?" Cooro said it before Husky could, "Senri's missing." Nana's green eyes widened to an almost laughable state. Suddenly hysterical, the bat girl went around the small room, muttering to herself and telling them what to do even though they hadn't officially left yet.

"What're gonna do? Where is he? Where could he be? We've gotta do something!" She practically wailed, her eyes starting to brim with unnecessary tears. Cooro nodded while Husky sighed at the two of them, the gravity of the situation beginning to weigh at him.

"Calm down for a minute, Nana. We'll find Senri and--"

"I certainly hope you're not going outside." Light burst into the cave, forcing the three kids to shut their eyes. Husky glanced up from underneath his hands in time to see a tall shape silhoutted against a white backdrop of light and snow. Then, just as quickly, the light faded as a curtain fell in behind the figure, semi-darkness shadowing them once again. With dots still dancing in front of his eyes, Husky attempted to get a glance at the stranger. "It would be a waste of your friend's effort to save you if I let you go out there and freeze." Beside him, Cooro and Nana stiffened. What was she talking about?

"Where's Senri?" It was more of a demand than a question, Husky's gaze trained on the woman in front of him. He knew the stranger was female because of the voice, the same voice that had told him last night that his friends were safe, but Senri's absence turned it into a lie. Where was Senri, where were they, and who was this woman? Husky wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

Sighing, the woman pulled off her fur lined hood, the coarse hairs of which had caught quite a dusting of snow. Emerald green eyes stared out from underneath dark chestnut brown bangs, the majority of it swept over to the side. The bangs framed her face, the ends barely brushing her jawline. A single lock ran longer than that, hanging down to her shoulder. Beginning behind her ear, the rest of the wild, unkempt hair trailed behind to the small of her back. If not for the heavy winter furs she wore, Husky could've been able to see what kind of clothes she was wearing. However, the red beads in her hair along with the black-and-white feather tied behind her ear told him all he needed to know about where she came from.

She was a Kim-un-Kur tribeswoman, more than likely from a serperate tribe though for the life of him he couldn't remember which ones wore red beads. Shrugging off her winter furs, he saw the rest of her clothing. A short skirt over long pants, the ends fringed with a dark brown animal skin. The shirt was mid-driff and would've shown off her stomach if not for the bandages wrapped around her. Her left shoulder was bare, the tunic sweeping up to cover her other shoulder and show off her chest. The right sleeve was actually connected to her outfit. The other sleeve was held in place by a red and gold band two inches below her shoulder. A curved black claw hung around her neck by a black sinew cord.

"Miss, where's Senri?" Cooro asked, his brown eyes shining with concern. Looking them over, she sighed again and beckoned with her hand to follow her. Exchanging confused looks, the three obligied. The woman lead them farther into the cave, and Husky was amazed to see the different tunnels that lead to smaller caverns. Stepping up to one that was shielded by an animal hide curtain, a lot like the larger one covering the entrance, Husky noted, she stood in front of it, barring their way.

"Before I let you see him, I want to you to know just how grateful you should be to have a friend like him. If not for him, you'd all be frozen corpses in the forest right now." The three gave her puzzled looks, and she was forced to explain further. "He gave up his only source of warmth so you three wouldn't freeze." She lifted the curtain aside, letting them walk past before stepping inside herself. Senri lay on another bed of furs, his chest rising and falling as he slept. His face was a deathly pale while his cheeks were flushed red. He was running a fever, that much was obvious. Husky felt a lump rise in his throat. _'He's sick because he didn't want _us _to die...'_

The woman was kneeling beside a small pot burning over a fire. When she lifted the lid away, they could see an herbal mixture boiling slightly as steam rose from the surface, filling the room an aromatic scent. Carefully, she ladled some into a shallow cup and went to kneel beside Senri. Gently cradling his head with one hand, she put the cup to his lips, letting the mixture run down his throat.

"This will help with the fever and should help him get his strength back." She set the cup aside and laid his head back down on the pillow. When she looked at them again, her gaze was softer than it had been when she told them to be grateful. "I should let you know, the blizzard isn't over yet, and it looks like it's going to be a long winter. You're welcome to stay here if you like."

"Oh, that'd be wonderful." Nana had made her decision; she didn't want to go back out in the cold. Cooro eagerly nodded his head with the comment, "As long as there's food." Husky sighed and gave a brief nod.

"It's shelter, and as long as Senri's okay, I don't have a problem with it." Then he pointed at all of them, naming them off, "That's Nana. If she complains, I wouldn't listen too much."

"Husky!" Amusement lighted the woman's eyes and gestured for him to continue, "The one wanting food is Cooro. And I'm Husky." The woman stood up and smiled at them. For the second time since they came there, Husky felt that they could trust her. So far, she'd been nothing but a big help to them. And she was right; the storm was still going on. It would've been crazy to continue traveling out there. She said something that Husky didn't quite catch, "What?" She laughed as Nana hit him over the head.

"Pay attention when someone's talking to you!"

"Oh, shut up, Nana."

"Hey, miss. What's your name?" Cooro asked as innocently as he could. She'd helped them and was trying to keep Senri from getting sicker. He at least wanted to know the name of the person savng them. She ruffled his hair causing him laugh.

"I am Miri of the Shuros tribe of the Kim-un-Kur. And you are welcome in my home." Husky suddenly felt like an idiot for not recognizing the red beads in her hair. The only survivors of the Tooa tribe were Senri and Upas. The silver-haired boy shuddered thinking of the Bear +Anima that had wanted to kill Senri. Taking another look at Senri, Husky felt a small smile creep upon his lips. He would be fine, thanks to Miri. They would all survive the winter with food and shelter. Husky bowed slightly to her.

"Thank you."

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Okay, so I hope I described Miri. Next chapter, hopefully soon. Please review, no flames please.


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